U.S. patent number 9,468,234 [Application Number 14/141,116] was granted by the patent office on 2016-10-18 for article including identification information for use in an electrically heated smoking system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to PHILIP MORRIS USA INC.. The grantee listed for this patent is Philip Morris USA Inc.. Invention is credited to Jean-Pierre Cordey, Felix Fernando.
United States Patent |
9,468,234 |
Fernando , et al. |
October 18, 2016 |
Article including identification information for use in an
electrically heated smoking system
Abstract
A smoking article includes identification information encoded on
the smoking article. The smoking article can be used with an
electrically heated smoking system having a detector for detecting
the smoking article and distinguishing the smoking article from
other articles based on the identification information. A cleaning
article includes identification information encoded on the cleaning
article. The cleaning article cleans an electrically heated smoking
system having a detector for detecting the cleaning article and
distinguishing the cleaning article from other articles based on
the identification information. An electrically heated smoking
system for receiving an article configured for use with the smoking
system includes: a cavity for receiving the article having
identification information encoded thereon, a heating element, a
power supply, electrical hardware, and a detector capable of
detecting the presence of the article in the cavity and
distinguishing the article from other articles based on the
identification information.
Inventors: |
Fernando; Felix (Workingham,
GB), Cordey; Jean-Pierre (Cheseaux, CH) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Philip Morris USA Inc. |
Richmond |
VA |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
PHILIP MORRIS USA INC.
(Richmond, VA)
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Family
ID: |
40666785 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/141,116 |
Filed: |
December 26, 2013 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20140196736 A1 |
Jul 17, 2014 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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12645254 |
Dec 22, 2009 |
8689804 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Dec 24, 2008 [EP] |
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08254145 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24F
40/50 (20200101); B08B 9/0808 (20130101); G06K
9/186 (20130101); H05B 1/0244 (20130101); A24F
40/57 (20200101); A24D 1/20 (20200101); A24F
40/53 (20200101); A24F 40/51 (20200101); A24F
40/85 (20200101); A24F 40/20 (20200101); G09F
2003/0272 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A24F
47/00 (20060101) |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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1209731 |
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Mar 1999 |
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CN |
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1280661 |
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Jan 2001 |
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CN |
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1316205 |
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Oct 2001 |
|
CN |
|
10241127 |
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Mar 2004 |
|
DE |
|
698 24 982 |
|
Oct 2004 |
|
DE |
|
0 277 519 |
|
Aug 1988 |
|
EP |
|
0 857 431 |
|
Aug 1998 |
|
EP |
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0 093 071 |
|
Jan 1999 |
|
EP |
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1 618 803 |
|
Jan 2006 |
|
EP |
|
1 736 062 |
|
Dec 2006 |
|
EP |
|
1 736 065 |
|
Dec 2006 |
|
EP |
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2006-320286 |
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Nov 2006 |
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JP |
|
100636287 |
|
Oct 2006 |
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KR |
|
00/28843 |
|
May 2000 |
|
WO |
|
03/037412 |
|
May 2003 |
|
WO |
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03/095688 |
|
Nov 2003 |
|
WO |
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2004/043175 |
|
May 2004 |
|
WO |
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2005/120614 |
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Dec 2005 |
|
WO |
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2007/024130 |
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Mar 2007 |
|
WO |
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2007/066374 |
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Jun 2007 |
|
WO |
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2007/131449 |
|
Nov 2007 |
|
WO |
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2007/131450 |
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Nov 2007 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
The European Search Report for European Patent Application No.
08254145 dated Jun. 2, 2009. cited by applicant .
International Preliminary Report on Patentability and Written
Opinion dated Jul. 7, 2011 for PCT/IB2009/007969. cited by
applicant .
Chinese Search Report dated Dec. 20, 2012 for Chinese Patent
Application No. 200980152284.3. cited by applicant .
Chinese Notification of the First Office Action dated Dec. 28, 2012
for Chinese Patent Application No. 200980152284.3. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Felton; Michael J
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
PC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a divisional application of application Ser.
No. 12/645,254, filed Dec. 22, 2009 entitled AN ARTICLE INCLUDING
IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION FOR USE IN AN ELECTRICALLY HEATED
SMOKING SYSTEM which application claims priority to European
Application No. 08254145.9, filed Dec. 24, 2008, the entire content
of each is incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Claims
We claim:
1. A cleaning article comprising: encoded identification
information on the cleaning article, said cleaning article being
configured for cleaning an electrically heated smoking system
having a detector for detecting the cleaning article and
distinguishing the cleaning article from other articles based on
the encoded identification information.
2. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the identification
information is printed on the article.
3. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the identification
information comprises at least one of visible ink, ultra violet
(UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink, phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink
or metallic ink.
4. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the identification
information comprises one or more of: smoking article type,
aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning article type, cleaning
means information, cleaning ingredient type, date of production,
place of production, production batch number, other production
details, and use-by date.
5. The cleaning article of claim 1, wherein the identification
information is arranged to change as the article is used.
6. An electrically heated smoking system for receiving the cleaning
article of claim 1, the system comprising: a cavity for at least
partially receiving the cleaning article, the cleaning article
including the encoded identification information thereon; at least
one heating element; a power supply for supplying power to the at
least one heating element; electrical hardware connected to the
power supply and the at least one heating element; and a detector
capable of detecting the presence of the cleaning article in the
cavity and distinguishing the cleaning article from a smoking
article receivable in the cavity among articles, based on the
identification information.
7. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 6, wherein the
system is arranged to initiate, when the detector detects the
cleaning article in the cavity.
8. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 6, wherein the
electrical hardware is arranged to establish a heating protocol for
the at least one heating element based on the cleaning article
identified by the detector.
9. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 6, wherein the
detector comprises an optical sensor including at least one light
emitter and at least one light sensor, and the identification
information is printed on the cleaning article.
10. The electrically heated smoking system of claim 6, wherein the
identification information is configured to be altered during
heating so as to indicate whether the cleaning article has been
used.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to an article including
identification information, for use in an electrically heated
smoking system. The present invention further relates to an
electrically heated smoking system for receiving such an article.
The article may be a cleaning article or a smoking article.
A number of prior art documents, for example U.S. Pat. No.
5,060,671, U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594, U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,214,
WO-A-2004/043175, EP-A-1 618 803, EP-A 1,736,065 and
WO-A-2007/131449, disclose electrically operated smoking systems,
having a number of advantages. One advantage is that they
significantly reduce sidestream smoke, while permitting the smoker
to selectively suspend and reinitiate smoking.
Electrically heated smoking systems typically include a power
supply, such as a battery, connected to a heater to heat an
aerosol-forming substrate, to form the aerosol which is provided to
the smoker. In operation, these electrically heated smoking systems
typically provide a high power pulse to the heater to provide the
temperature range desired for operation and to release the volatile
compounds. Electrically heated smoking systems may be reusable and
may be arranged to receive a disposable smoking article, containing
the aerosol-forming substrate, to form the aerosol.
Smoking articles developed for electrically heated smoking systems
are typically specially designed, because the flavors are generated
and released by a controlled heating of the aerosol-forming
substrate, without the combustion that takes place in lit-end
cigarettes and other smoking articles. Therefore, the structure of
a smoking article designed for an electrically heated smoking
system may be different from the structure of a lit-end smoking
article. Using a lit-end smoking article with an electrically
heated smoking system may result in a poor smoking experience for
the user, and may also damage the system because, for example, the
smoking article is not compatible with the system. In addition,
there may be a number of different smoking articles which are each
configured for use with the system, but which each provide a
different smoking experience for the user.
Some of the electrically heated smoking systems of the prior art
include a detector which is able to detect the presence of a
smoking article received in the smoking system. An improved
electrically heated smoking system including a detector which
offers additional functionality to the smoker, and an improved
article for use with such a system is provided herein.
Summary of Selected Aspects of the Invention
A smoking article, including identification information encoded on
the smoking article, is configured for use with an electrically
heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking
article and distinguishing the smoking article from other articles
based on the identification information. In the preferred
embodiment, the identification information is printed on the
article. Preferably, the identification information includes
visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink,
phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink. Also
preferably, the identification information includes one or more of:
smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning
article type, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type,
date of production, place of production, batch number and other
production details, and use-by date. Moreover, the identification
information is arranged to change as the article is used.
A cleaning article, including identification information encoded on
the cleaning article, is configured for cleaning an electrically
heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning
article and distinguishing the cleaning article from other articles
based on the identification information. In the preferred
embodiment, the identification information is printed on the
article. Preferably, the identification information includes
visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink,
phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink. Also
preferably, the identification information includes one or more of:
smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning
article type, cleaning means information, cleaning ingredient type,
date of production, place of production, batch number and other
production details, and use-by date. Moreover, the identification
information is arranged to change as the article is used.
An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article
configured for use with the smoking system includes a cavity for at
least partially receiving the article, the article including
identification information encoded thereon, at least one heating
element, a power supply for supplying power to the at least one
heating element, electrical hardware connected to the power supply
and the at least one heating element, and a detector capable of
detecting the presence of the article in the cavity and
distinguishing the article from other articles, based on the
identification information. In the preferred embodiment, the
article is selected from a smoking article and a cleaning article.
Preferably, the system is arranged to initiate when the detector
detects the article in the cavity. Also preferably, the electrical
hardware is arranged to establish a heating protocol for the at
least one heating element based on the particular article
identified by the detector. In the preferred embodiment, the system
is configured to receive a plurality of smoking articles including
identification information, and the system is arranged to operate
only with a subset of the plurality of smoking articles configured
for use with the smoking system, each smoking article of the subset
being distinguishable by the detector, based on the identification
information. Moreover, the detector includes an optical sensor. The
optical sensor includes at least one light emitter and at least one
light sensor, and the identification information is printed on the
article. Preferably, the identification information is configured
to be altered during heating so as to indicate whether the article
has been used. Also preferably, the electrical hardware includes a
sensor to detect air flow indicative of a user taking a puff.
A smoking article specially adapted for use with the electrically
heated smoking system is also provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be further described, by way of example only,
with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary embodiment of an
electrically heated smoking system having a smoking article
inserted into an article receiving cavity.
FIGS. 2a-2d illustrates four exemplary embodiments of articles
configured for use with the electrically heated smoking system of
an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A smoking article including identification information encoded on
the smoking article, and configured for use with an electrically
heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the smoking
article and distinguishing the smoking article from other articles,
based on the identification information is provided.
The smoking article can be detected by the detector, and one
smoking article can be distinguished from another article, based on
the identification information. Preferably, the article is one
article of a plurality of articles configured for use with the
system, and the detector is capable of distinguishing the article
from other of the plurality of articles configured for use with the
system, based on the identification information.
A cleaning article including identification information encoded on
the cleaning article, and configured for cleaning an electrically
heated smoking system having a detector for detecting the cleaning
article and distinguishing the cleaning article from other
articles, based on the identification information is also
provided.
The cleaning article can be detected by the detector, and one
cleaning article can be distinguished from another article, based
on the identification information. Preferably, the article is one
article of a plurality of articles configured for use with the
system, and the detector is capable of distinguishing the article
from other of the plurality of articles configured for use with the
system, based on the identification information.
Preferably, the identification information is printed on the
smoking article or the cleaning article. The identification
information may include visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infra
red (IR) ink, phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink or metallic ink.
Further identification information may be included in the smoking
article or cleaning article.
In one embodiment, the identification information includes a linear
code or a bar code. In another embodiment, the identification
information includes one or more of: smoking or cleaning article
type, aerosol-forming substrate type, cleaning ingredient type,
date of production, place of production, batch number and other
production details, and use-by date.
In a further embodiment, the identification information is arranged
to change as the smoking article is smoked or the cleaning article
is used to clean the system.
Preferably, the smoking article includes an aerosol-forming
substrate. The aerosol-forming substrate includes a
tobacco-containing material containing volatile tobacco flavor
compounds which are released from the substrate upon heating.
Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate may include a
non-tobacco material such as those used in the devices of EP-A-1
750 788 and EP-A-1 439 876. Preferably, the aerosol-forming
substrate further includes an aerosol former. Examples of suitable
aerosol formers are glycerine and propylene glycol. Additional
examples of potentially suitable aerosol formers are described in
EP-A-0 277 519 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,911.
The aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid substrate. The solid
substrate may include, for example, one or more of: powder,
granules, pellets, shreds, spaghettis, strips or sheets containing
one or more of: herb leaf, tobacco leaf, fragments of tobacco ribs,
reconstituted tobacco, homogenized tobacco, extruded tobacco and
expanded tobacco. Optionally, the solid substrate may contain
additional tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds, to be
released upon heating of the substrate.
Optionally, the solid substrate may be provided on or embedded in a
thermally stable carrier. The carrier may take the form of powder,
granules, pellets, shreds, spaghettis, strips or sheets.
Alternatively, the carrier may be a tubular carrier having a thin
layer of the solid substrate deposited on its inner surface, such
as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,214, U.S. Pat. No.
5,591,368 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594, or on its outer surface, or
on both its inner and outer surfaces. Such a tubular carrier may be
formed of, for example, a paper, or paper like material, a
non-woven carbon fiber mat, a low mass open mesh metallic screen,
or a perforated metallic foil or any other thermally stable polymer
matrix. The solid substrate may be deposited on the surface of the
carrier in the form of, for example, a sheet, foam, gel or slurry.
The solid substrate may be deposited on the entire surface of the
carrier, or alternatively, may be deposited in a pattern in order
to provide a non-uniform flavor delivery during use. Alternatively,
the carrier may be a non-woven fabric or fiber bundle into which
tobacco components have been incorporated, such as that described
in EP-A-0 857 431. The non-woven fabric or fiber bundle may
include, for example, carbon fibers, natural cellulose fibers, or
cellulose derivative fibers.
The aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid substrate and the
smoking article may include means for retaining the liquid
substrate. For example, the smoking article may include a
container, such as that described in EP-A-0 893 071. Alternatively
or in addition, the smoking article may include a porous carrier
material, into which the liquid substrate may be absorbed, as
described in WO-A-2007/024130, WO-A-2007/066374, EP-A-1 736 062,
WO-A-2007/131449 and WO-A-2007/131450. The aerosol-forming
substrate may alternatively be any other sort of substrate, for
example, a gas substrate, or any combination of the various types
of substrate.
An electrically heated smoking system for receiving an article
configured for use with the smoking system is also provided. The
system includes: a cavity for at least partially receiving the
article, the article including identification information encoded
thereon; at least one heating element; a power supply for supplying
power to the at least one heating element; electrical hardware
connected to the power supply and the at least one heating element;
and a detector capable of detecting the presence of the article in
the cavity and distinguishing the article from other articles,
based on the identification information.
The detector is not only able to detect the presence of the article
in the cavity, but is also able to distinguish between one article
and other articles. This is done based on the identification
information on the article. Preferably, the electrically heated
smoking system is reusable.
Preferably, the article is selected from a smoking article and a
cleaning article. Preferably, each smoking article is disposable.
Preferably, each cleaning article is either disposable or reusable.
The cleaning article may include one or more of: at least one
cleaning tool, for example a brush, cloth, wipe or swab, for
mechanical cleaning, and one or more cleaning ingredients for
chemical cleaning.
During operation, the smoking article, and its aerosol-forming
substrate, may be completely received in the cavity and thus
completely contained within the electrically heated smoking system.
In that case, a user may puff on a mouthpiece of the electrically
heated smoking system. Alternatively, during operation, the smoking
article may be partially received in the cavity such that the
aerosol-forming substrate is fully or partially contained within
the electrically heated smoking system. In that case, a user may
puff directly on the smoking article or on a mouthpiece of the
electrically heated smoking system.
Preferably, the system is arranged to initiate, when the detector
detects the article in the cavity. The system may be initiated when
the electrical hardware connects the power supply and the at least
one heating element. Alternatively, or in addition, the system may
be initiated when the system switches from a standby mode to an
active mode. Alternatively, or in addition, the system may further
include a switch and may be initiated when the switch is turned on,
such that the at least one heating element is heated only when an
article is detected in the cavity. Initiation of the system may
additionally or alternatively include other steps.
The detector is capable of detecting whether or not an article is
present in the cavity. Because of this, the system and article have
a number of advantages. For example, power saving is provided
because the system does not need to permanently remain in an active
mode, but can remain in a standby mode, switching to the active
mode only when an article is detected. In addition, the power used
can be optimized for a particular user, when a smoking article is
detected, depending on smoking habits of the user. The system also
allows for a shorter time to first puff for a smoking article,
because the article can be heated as soon as it is detected. This
minimizes the time delay between a user's first puff and the user
receiving the aerosol. Furthermore, safety may be improved because
the system activates only when a valid article is detected.
Therefore, there is no chance that the heating element will
energize unless the valid article is present.
The detector may also be arranged to indicate when the article is
removed from the cavity. In that case, the system may be arranged
to switch from the active mode to the standby mode. Alternatively,
or in addition, if the system includes a switch, the switch may be
turned off when the article is removed from the cavity.
The detector is also capable of distinguishing between articles,
which provides a number of advantages. In particular, the detector
may be capable of distinguishing between a cleaning article and a
smoking article. Additionally, the plurality of articles may
include a plurality of smoking articles and the detector may be
arranged to distinguish between each of the plurality of smoking
articles configured for use with the smoking system. Furthermore,
the plurality of articles may include a plurality of cleaning
articles and the detector may be arranged to distinguish between
each of the plurality of cleaning articles configured for use with
the smoking system.
Preferably, the electrical hardware includes a programmable
controller, for example, a microcontroller, for controlling
operation of the heating element. In one embodiment, the controller
may be programmable by software. Alternatively, the controller may
include application specific hardware, such as an
Application-Specific Integrated-Circuit (ASIC), which may be
programmable by customizing the logic blocks within the hardware
for a particular application. Preferably, the electrical hardware
includes a processor. Additionally, the electrical hardware may
include memory for storing heating preferences for particular
smoking articles and, optionally, cleaning articles, user
preferences, user smoking habits or other information. Preferably,
the information stored can be updated and replaced depending on the
particular smoking articles and cleaning articles usable with the
smoking system. Also, the information may be downloaded from the
smoking system.
In one exemplary embodiment, the electrical hardware includes a
sensor to detect air flow indicative of a user taking a puff. The
sensor may include a thermistor. The sensor may be an
electro-mechanical device. Alternatively, the sensor may be any of:
a mechanical device, an optical device, an opto-mechanical device
and a micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) based sensor. In that
case, the electrical hardware may be arranged to provide an
electric current pulse to the at least one heating element when the
sensor senses a user taking a puff. In an alternative embodiment,
the system further includes a manually operable switch, for a user
to initiate a puff.
Preferably, the electrical hardware is arranged to establish a
heating protocol for the at least one heating element based on the
particular smoking article identified by the detector. The heating
protocol may include one or more of: a maximum operating
temperature for the heating element, a maximum heating time per
puff, a minimum time between puffs, a maximum number of puffs per
smoking article and a maximum total heating time for the smoking
article. Establishing a heating protocol tailored to the particular
smoking article is advantageous because the aerosol-forming
substrates in particular smoking articles may require, or provide
an improved smoking experience with, particular heating conditions.
As already mentioned, preferably, the electrical hardware is
programmable, in which case various heating protocols may be stored
and updated.
Similarly, the electrical hardware may be arranged to establish a
heating protocol for the at least one heating element based on the
particular cleaning article identified by the detector. This might
be advantageous if the cleaning ingredients of particular cleaning
articles provide an improved clean in particular heating
conditions. In one embodiment, the heating element may be arranged
to activate a cleaning means, for example a cleaning ingredient, in
the cleaning article.
Preferably, the electrical hardware is arranged to store
information based on the particular smoking article identified by
the detector. This allows monitoring of the various smoking article
types used by a particular user, in order to track customer
preferences. The information may be stored in the electrical
hardware, preferably in the memory. The information is preferably
retrievable from the electrical hardware.
In one embodiment, the article is one article of a plurality of
articles configured for use with the system. In that case, the
detector is capable of detecting the presence of the article in the
cavity and also capable of distinguishing the article from other of
the plurality of articles configured for use with the system, based
on the identification information. The plurality of articles may
include a plurality of smoking articles. Additionally, or
alternatively, the plurality of articles may include one or more
cleaning articles.
If the plurality of articles includes a plurality of smoking
articles, the system may be arranged to operate with a subset of
the plurality of smoking articles configured for use with the
smoking system, each smoking article of the subset being
distinguishable by the detector. In this way, the system can be set
up for use with only particular smoking articles by, for example,
programming the electrical hardware. This feature provides a number
of advantages. First, this may reduce or eliminate counterfeit
smoking articles for use with the system. Second, this may allow
manufacturers or distributors to limit the smoking articles which
can be used with the system, for example, to account for different
smoking articles available in different regions or jurisdictions.
Third, this can also allow the smoking system to be configured for
use with different subsets of smoking articles. For example, the
smoking system, on purchase, might be usable with a first subset of
smoking articles. After an update to the electrical hardware, the
smoking system might be usable with a second, larger, subset of
smoking articles. After a further update to the electrical
hardware, the smoking system might be usable with a third, larger,
subset of smoking articles.
In addition, different smoking articles may be suited for use with
different cleaning articles or a different frequency of cleaning.
For example, a particular aerosol-forming substrate may require a
particular cleaning ingredient, in order to achieve optimum
cleaning of the smoking system. Therefore, if the smoking system is
configured for use with different subsets of smoking articles, the
smoking system might also be configured for use with corresponding
subsets of cleaning articles.
Thus, by providing a detector which is able to distinguish between
different types of articles configured for use with the system,
various advantages can be provided. One such advantage is that the
power consumption of the system can be optimized based on the
particular cleaning article or smoking article identified. In
addition, the detector can identify how many smoking articles, and
which types of smoking articles, have been used with the smoking
system, which may indicate when or how often the smoking system
needs to be cleaned and with which cleaning article the smoking
system needs to be cleaned. Also, the smoking system can
distinguish between different types of smoking articles, different
types of cleaning articles, and different batches of smoking
articles of the same type, based on the information encoded in or
on the article.
The detector may include an optical sensor including at least one
light emitter and at least one light sensor. In a preferred
embodiment, the detector may include one light emitter and one
light sensor. In other embodiments, the detector may include more
than one light sensor in the form of a one dimensional (e.g.,
linear) array of light sensors. In further embodiments, the
detector may include more than one light sensor in the form of a
two dimensional array of light sensors.
The identification information encoded on the article may include
one or more of: smoking article type, aerosol-forming substrate
type, cleaning article type, cleaning means information, cleaning
ingredient type, date of production, place of production, batch
number and other production details, and use-by date.
The identification information may be printed on the article in
various forms. Various inks may be used for printing, including
visible ink, ultra violet (UV) ink, infra red (IR) ink,
phosphorescent ink, fluorescent ink and metallic ink. In one
embodiment, the identification information includes a plurality of
lines and spaces. The lines and spaces may extend substantially
around the circumference of the article. The lines and spaces may
have a fixed width or a variable width. The identification
information may be encoded as a one dimensional barcode including
the plurality of lines and spaces. In another embodiment, the
identification information includes a two dimensional array. The
two dimensional array may include a data matrix or any other two
dimensional barcode.
In another embodiment, the detector includes an inductive sensor
for sensing metallic elements in or on an article, and the
identification information includes the metallic elements in or on
the article. In that case, the detector preferably includes an
induction coil positioned so as to surround an article received in
the cavity. The identification information is preferably encoded in
the form of the amount of metallic element in or on the article,
different amounts identifying different articles. In one
embodiment, the metallic element may be metallic ink.
In a given article, one or more different encoding methods may be
used for the identification information. Similarly, the detector
may include one or more different types of sensors.
In one embodiment, the article includes information configured to
be altered during heating so as to indicate whether the article has
been used. The information configured to be altered during heating
may be provided in addition to the identification information. That
is, two separate sets of information may be provided.
Alternatively, the identification information may be configured to
be altered during heating. That is, a single set of information may
be provided. For example, information may be printed on the
article, and the appearance of the information may change, or the
information may completely disappear, during heating.
Further, the information configured to be altered during heating
may be arranged to indicate how much the article has been used. For
example, the information may indicate for how long the smoking
article has been heated or how many puffs have been taken or how
many cleaning operations the cleaning article has performed.
The at least one heating element may include a single heating
element. Alternatively, the at least one heating element may
include more than one heating element. The heating element or
heating elements may be arranged appropriately so as to most
effectively heat the aerosol-forming substrate in a smoking article
or the cleaning means in a cleaning article.
The at least one heating element preferably includes an
electrically resistive material. Suitable electrically resistive
materials include but are not limited to: semiconductors such as
doped ceramics, electrically "conductive" ceramics (such as, for
example, molybdenum disilicide), carbon, graphite, metals, metal
alloys and composite materials made of a ceramic material and a
metallic material. Such composite materials may include doped or
undoped ceramics. Examples of suitable doped ceramics include doped
silicon carbides. Examples of suitable metals include titanium,
zirconium, tantalum and metals from the platinum group. Examples of
suitable metal alloys include stainless steel, nickel-, cobalt-,
chromium-, aluminium- titanium- zirconium-, hafnium-, niobium-,
molybdenum-, tantalum-, tungsten-, tin-, gallium-, manganese- and
iron-containing alloys, and super-alloys based on nickel, iron,
cobalt, stainless steel, Timetal.RTM. and iron-manganese-aluminium
based alloys. In composite materials, the electrically resistive
material may optionally be embedded in, encapsulated or coated with
an insulating material or vice-versa, depending on the kinetics of
energy transfer and the external physicochemical properties
required. Examples of suitable composite heating elements are
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,855, WO-A-03/095688 and U.S. Pat.
No. 5,514,630.
Alternatively, the at least one heating element may include an
infra-red heating element, a photonic source such as, for example,
those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289, or an inductive heating
element, such as, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. No.
5,613,505.
The at least one heating element may take any suitable form. For
example, the at least one heating element may take the form of a
heating blade, such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,594,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,368 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,214. Alternatively,
the at least one heating element may take the form of a casing or
substrate having different electro-conductive portions, as
described in EP-A-1 128 741, or an electrically resistive metallic
tube, as described in WO-A-2007/066374. Alternatively, one or more
heating needles or rods that run through the center of the
aerosol-forming substrate, as described in KR-A-100636287 and
JP-A-2006320286, may also be suitable. Alternatively, the at least
one heating element may be a disk (end) heater or a combination of
a disk heater with heating needles or rods. Other alternatives
include a heating wire or filament, for example a Ni--Cr, platinum,
tungsten or alloy wire, such as those described in EP-A-1 736 065,
or a heating plate.
The at least one heating element may heat the aerosol-forming
substrate by means of conduction. The heating element may be at
least partially in contact with the substrate, or the carrier on
which the substrate is deposited. Alternatively, the heat from the
heating element may be conducted to the substrate by means of a
heat conductive element. Alternatively, the at least one heating
element may transfer heat to the incoming ambient air that is drawn
through the electrically heated smoking system during use, which in
turn heats the aerosol-forming substrate by convection. The ambient
air may be heated before passing through the aerosol-forming
substrate, as described in WO-A-2007/066374.
The electrically heated smoking system may further include an
indicator for indicating when the at least one heating element is
activated.
In one preferred embodiment, the power supply is a DC voltage
source. In one embodiment, the voltage source is a Lithium-ion
battery or a Lithium-ion phosphate battery. Alternatively, the
voltage source may be a Nickel-metal hydride battery or a Nickel
cadmium battery. The power supply may include a power cell
contained in the electrically heated smoking system. Alternatively,
the power supply may include circuitry chargeable by an external
charging portion and an interface for connection to an external
power source.
The electrically heated smoking system may further include a
housing for receiving the smoking article or cleaning article and
designed to be grasped by a user.
A smoking article specially adapted for use with the electrically
heated smoking system of the third aspect of the invention is also
provided.
Features described in relation to one aspect of the invention may
also be applicable to other aspects of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of an
electrically heated smoking system 101. The smoking system 101
includes a housing 103 having a front housing portion 105 and a
rear housing portion 107. The front housing portion 105 includes a
front end portion 109 having a cavity 111 capable of receiving an
article, such as a smoking article or cleaning article. In FIG. 1,
the smoking system 101 is shown with a smoking article in the form
of cigarette 115 received in the cavity 111. In this embodiment,
the front housing portion 105 also includes a display 113. The
display 113 is not shown in detail, but it may include any suitable
form of display, for example a liquid crystal display (LCD), a
light-emitting diode (LED) display or a plasma display panel. In
addition, the display may be arranged to show any required
information, for example relating to smoking article or cleaning
article.
The electrically heated smoking system 101 also includes a detector
(not shown in FIG. 1) positioned in or adjacent the cavity 111. The
detector is able to detect the presence of an article in the cavity
and is also able to distinguish between the various articles which
may be usable with the system. This will be discussed further with
reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 shows four exemplary embodiments of articles 115, 115',
115'', 115''', which may be used with the electrically heated
smoking system of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2a shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115. In
FIG. 2a, information related to the cigarette type is encoded in
one-dimensional form, using a plurality of generally circular lines
201. The generally circular lines are located on the portion of the
cigarette 115 which is to be received in the cavity 111. In this
embodiment, the generally circular lines are located as far from
the heating end as possible, to reduce the likelihood that the
lines will be damaged during the smoking experience. The generally
circular lines may be printed on the smoking article with infra red
(IR), ultra violet (UV) or visible ink or even using phosphorescent
or fluorescent markings. In other embodiments, the generally
circular lines may be printed on the smoking article with any type
of suitable metallic inks.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2a, the generally circular lines
201 include a plurality of lines and spaces of varying width. These
may be encoded as a simple one dimensional barcode, according to
appropriate barcode encoding standards (see below). Alternatively,
the generally circular lines may include a plurality n of lines and
spaces of the same width for encoding the information related to
the cigarette type. For example, with n=3, the following codes are
possible: 000, 001, 010, 100, 011, 110, 101, 111, where 1
represents a line, and 0 represents a space. 001, 010 and 100 may
not be distinguishable from each other (unless a marker line is
provided to indicate to the detector where the encoding begins).
Similarly, 011 and 110 may not be distinguishable from each other.
Thus, five possibilities are provided with n=3. If 000 is used to
indicate that no article is present, only four possibilities are
provided. In general, unless a marker line is provided, 2.sup.n-1+1
possibilities are provided or, if 000. is used to indicate that no
article is present, only 2.sup.n-1 possibilities are provided.
Alternatively, the generally circular lines may include two lines,
one of fixed width F and one of variable width V for encoding the
information related to the cigarette type. In this case, the
cigarette type would be given by V/F. The generally circular lines
201 do not need to extend around the entire cigarette. Preferably,
however, the generally circular lines extend around the majority of
the cigarette, so that they can be easily detected by detector
203.
There are a number of barcode standards that might be suitable for
use with the articles of the invention. One barcode type that may
be useful for the present invention is the "Interleaved 2 of 5"
(I2/5) barcode, which is a high-density, continuous two-width
barcode symbology. The code has bars (black lines) and spaces
(white lines), each of which can be wide or narrow. I2/5 encodes a
pair of digits per five bars and spaces: the first digit is encoded
in the five bars, while the second digit is encoded in the five
spaces interleaved with them. Two out of every five bars or spaces
are wide. Alternatively, another standard barcode symbology may be
used, or a custom code specifically for this application might be
developed.
In FIG. 2a, the detector in the electrically heated smoking system
is shown schematically at 203. In this embodiment, the detector 203
includes a source of suitable light (IR, UV or visible, depending
on the ink used on the article) and at least one photosensor that
detects the reflected light. The detector may include a single
sensor that detects the reflected light. In that case, detection of
the smoking article may be performed as the smoking article is
being inserted into the cavity, by measuring the time for the
various lines to pass the detector. Or, the detector may include a
plurality of sensors that detect the reflected light. In that case,
detection of the smoking article may be performed once the
cigarette has been inserted into the cavity. Because the lines
extend around substantially the cigarette's entire circumference,
if a plurality of sensors are used, they only need extend in one
dimension along the longitudinal axis of the cigarette. Also, there
is no need for the user to manually align the printed information
on the smoking article with the detector.
It should be understood that the features described in relation to
the smoking article of FIG. 2a may also be used with another type
of smoking article or with a cleaning article.
FIG. 2b shows schematically a cleaning article 115'. The cleaning
article includes cleaning means in the form of cleaning brush 205.
In FIG. 2b, information related to the cleaning article is encoded
using a two-dimensional (2D) barcode 207. The barcode is located on
the portion of the cleaning article 115' which is to be received in
the cavity 111. In this embodiment, the barcode 207 is located as
far from the heating end as possible, to reduce the likelihood that
the barcode will be damaged during the cleaning process. The
barcode may be printed on the cleaning article with IR, UV or
visible ink or even using phosphorescent or fluorescent markings or
metallic ink. The 2D barcode may be in the form of a data
matrix.
In the embodiment of FIG. 2b, the cleaning means includes a
cleaning brush 205. Alternatively, the brush could be replaced with
a swab, wipe or cloth, or another means for mechanically cleaning
the inside of the cavity 111 (shown in FIG. 1). The cleaning means
might also include cleaning ingredients, for example, added
manually by a user before cleaning, or contained within the
cleaning article for ejection during cleaning. In the embodiment of
FIG. 2b, the cleaning article includes a power supply (for example
a battery or capacitor), electronic hardware, and a brush actuator
all housed within the article, which are not shown in FIG. 2b. In
the embodiment of FIG. 2b, the cleaning brush can be actuated by
one of two switches 206a and 206b. Actuation may cause the brush to
vibrate or rotate, for example, under operation of the brush
actuator connected to the power supply. 206a is a manual switch
that can be operated by a user pressing on it. 206b is also manual,
but is a pressure switch operated by applying gentle pressure to
the cleaning article towards the cavity. In other embodiments, one
of switches 206a, 206b may be included, or neither could be
included and the cleaning article could rely on manual operation
only. Upon detection of the cleaning article, the heating element
may be activated. Depending on the particularly cleaning means in
the cleaning article, this may assist with cleaning. In the
embodiment of FIG. 2b, the cleaning brush 205 is suitable for a
system in which the heating element is a disk heater, or external
heater. The particular configuration of the brush can be altered
for other types of heating element, for example an internal pin
heater.
In FIG. 2b, the detector in the electrically heated smoking system
is shown schematically at 209. In this embodiment, the detector 209
includes a linear array of detectors, each including a source of
suitable light and a photosensor that detects the reflected light.
Since the detector is a linear array of detectors, the cleaning
article should be inserted into the cavity such that the barcode is
aligned with the array. Alternatively, the cleaning article may be
inserted into the cavity and then rotated manually by the user, in
order for the entire barcode to pass alongside the array and thus
for the linear array of detectors to read the two dimensional
barcode. In another embodiment, the detector may include a two
dimensional array of CCDs (charge coupled devices). In that case,
the cleaning article should be inserted into the cavity such that
the barcode is aligned with the CCD array. Alternatively, the
cleaning article may be inserted into the cavity and then rotated
manually by the user to align the barcode with the CCD array. In
any case, the appropriate position or rotation amount of the
article in the cavity can be indicated to the user using mechanical
elements, for example a marker or groove in the article which
aligns with a marker or groove on the cavity. In one embodiment, a
protrusion is provided on the article which cooperates with a
notch, groove or channel in the cavity. The protrusion preferably
extends in a longitudinal direction along the article, and is
arranged to align with a corresponding longitudinal groove in the
cavity wall. Alternatively, the protrusion may be provided in the
cavity, with the corresponding groove on the article.
Alternatively, to avoid the need for the article to be properly
aligned or rotated in the cavity, the two dimensional barcode may
be repeatedly printed around the circumference of the article. If
the detector includes a two dimensional array of devices, assuming
the dimensions of the array are sufficient, the detector's field of
view will be sufficient to read all portions of the barcode.
It should be understood that the features described in relation to
the cleaning article of FIG. 2b may also be used with another type
of cleaning article or with a smoking article.
The embodiments of FIGS. 2a and 2b use an optical emitter and
sensor to detect the presence of the article in the cavity and to
distinguish between various types of articles, using the
information printed on the article. For a smoking article, this may
be advantageous since the tipping paper or plug wrap of a cigarette
can be used for printing, and the printing will probably not affect
the smoke chemistry when the smoking article is heated.
FIG. 2c shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115''.
In FIG. 2c, metal powder is mixed into the tobacco in the
aerosol-forming substrate in the cigarette 115''. This is shown
schematically at aerosol-forming plug 211. Variations in the amount
of metal powder can indicate different cigarette types. In FIG. 2c,
the detector in the electrically heated smoking system is an
inductive sensor including an induction coil surrounding the
smoking article. This is shown schematically at 213. In this
embodiment, the coil 213 is connected periodically and an increase
in current indicates the presence of a cigarette in the cavity. The
amount of current increase differentiates between different
cigarette types. The metal could equally be included in another
form, for example as a metallised barcode, for example, printed on
the cigarette.
Using an inductive sensor, rather than an optical sensor, may be
advantageous since the detector will not be affected by any
contaminants in the system. It should be understood that the
features described in relation to the smoking article of FIG. 2c
may also be used with another type of smoking article or with a
cleaning article. If used with a cleaning article, the metallic
elements may be incorporated in the cleaning brush bristles or
central core, or within the remaining portion of the cleaning
article.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c, information
related to the smoking article or the cleaning article is encoded
on the structure of the article. This allows the electrically
heated smoking system to, not only detect the presence of an
article in the cavity, but also to identify one type of article
from a number of different types usable with the device. For a
smoking article, this enables the electrically heated smoking
system to tailor the heating to the particular cigarette type or
the particular user, or both. For example, particular substrates
may require higher operating temperatures or longer heating times.
For a cleaning article, this enables the electrically heated
smoking system to tailor the heating to the particular cleaning
means. For example, particular cleaning ingredients may provide an
improved clean with higher operating temperatures or longer heating
times. In addition, the cleaning operation can be adjusted
depending on the smoking articles used with the system. For
example, more frequent use of smoking articles will require more
frequent or longer duration cleaning, or certain types of smoking
articles may require more frequent or longer duration cleaning or
different cleaning ingredients. In addition, identification of the
particular article allows various information regarding the
articles to be stored, for example, the number of smoking articles
smoked, the types of tobacco, the number of smoking articles to
next clean, and the preferred type of cleaning article.
FIG. 2d shows a smoking article, in the form of a cigarette 115'''.
As in FIG. 2a, information related to the cigarette type is encoded
using a plurality of generally circular lines 215. The generally
circular lines 215 are located on the portion of the cigarette
115''' which is to be received in the cavity 111 (shown in FIG. 1)
and are located as far from the heating end as possible, to reduce
the likelihood that the lines will be damaged during the smoking
experience. In addition, an additional generally circular line 217
is provided on the cigarette. Line 217 is located close to the
heating end and is designed to change during the heating involved
in the smoking experience. Alteration of the line will indicate
that the cigarette has been smoked.
As in FIGS. 2a and 2b, generally circular lines 215 may be printed
on the smoking article with infra red (IR), ultra violet (UV),
visible ink or even using phosphorescent or fluorescent markings or
metallic inks. Circular line 217 may be printed with thermally
sensitive ink arranged to change or disappear when in the high
temperatures reached within the cavity. Or another mechanism,
allowing the line to alter in appearance during heating, may be
used.
In FIG. 2d, the detector is shown schematically at 219. The
detector may be any sort of suitable sensor, as described above
with reference to FIGS. 2a and 2b. The detector is arranged to use
generally circular lines 215 to detect the presence of the
cigarette and identify the cigarette, and to use circular line 217
to determine whether the cigarette has been smoked. A single
detector is shown in FIG. 2d, but separate detectors for lines 215
and 217 respectively, may be provided. It is possible for the line
217 to indicate simply whether the cigarette has or has not been
smoked. Or, the line 217 may indicate how much the cigarette has
been smoked. Such information can indicate whether further puffs
are available from the cigarette and other similar information.
Such information may be stored in the hardware. Such information
may also be displayed to the user.
In the embodiment of FIG. 2d, one set of information (lines 215) is
used to identify the cigarette and another set of information (line
217) is used to identify whether, and optionally how much, the
cigarette has been smoked. However, it is equally possible for a
single set of information to indicate both the cigarette type and
whether it has been smoked. For example, one set of lines might
provide encoded information on the cigarette, as well as be
arranged to change during heating. The position of the lines on the
cigarette will be appropriate depending on the purpose of the
lines.
It should be understood that the features described in relation to
the smoking article of FIG. 2d may also be used with another type
of smoking article or with a cleaning article. If used with a
cleaning article, line 217 will indicate whether the cleaning
article has already been used for cleaning and optionally how much
cleaning the cleaning article has performed. In addition, a number
of different printed arrangements (for example a barcode or a data
matrix) may be used in place of the circular lines.
Although the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2a, 2c and 2d show a
smoking article in the form of a cigarette, having a solid
aerosol-forming substrate, this need not be the case. The
aerosol-forming substrate may be a solid substrate provided in a
different form, such as in a capsule that is completely contained
within the electrically heated smoking system. The aerosol-forming
substrate may, alternatively, be a liquid substrate, such as
described in EP-A 1 736 065. The aerosol-forming substrate may be
any other suitable type of substrate.
In addition, the illustrated embodiments shown an electrically
heated smoking system in which a user puffs directly on the smoking
article. However, this need not be the case. The user could puff
directly on the system, for example on a mouthpiece.
The described embodiments of the invention provide a number of
advantages. Firstly, the system allows for reasonable manufacturing
tolerances in the cigarette dimensions. The system allows for
variability in environmental factors, such as temperature and
humidity. The system is reasonably robust, to allow for consumer
handling. The system also provides reliable, consistent operation
for a variety of smoking article and cleaning article types.
In this specification, the word "about" is often used in connection
with numerical values to indicate that mathematical precision of
such values is not intended. Accordingly, it is intended that where
"about" is used with a numerical value, a tolerance of .+-.10% is
contemplated for that numerical value.
In this specification the words "generally" and "substantially" are
sometimes used with respect to terms. When used with geometric
terms, the words "generally" and "substantially" are intended to
encompass not only features which meet the strict definitions but
also features which fairly approximate the strict definitions. In
this connection, the term "circular" is intended to also include
configurations including two or more substantially straight line
segments describing the "circular" feature.
While the foregoing describes in detail a preferred an article
including identification information for use in an electrically
heated smoking system with reference to a specific embodiment
thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various
changes and modifications may be made to the article, which do not
materially depart from the spirit and scope of the foregoing
description. Accordingly, all such changes, modifications, and
equivalents that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended
claims are intended to be encompassed thereby.
* * * * *